Monday, September 19, 2011

Future or no?

The fact that Harper, Obama, and Netanyahu have made it clear that they will not recognize a Palestinian State finally makes it clear that the real barrier to peace in the Middle East is Israel and its allies. Despite telling the world for so many years how important it is for everyone in the world to recognize the people and state of Israel, they have now made it clear to the world that they do not recognize the Palestinians as a people with an inherent right to exist. What they dread most is the idea of putting the people of Palestine on a rightful legal footing that would make them equal with other people around the world, and equal with Israelis in particular. As long as the Palestinians are stateless people, the Israeli governments can continue to chip away at them, stealing their land until there is not enough left of Palestine to make it a viable state. It is transparent now that this is, and has always been, the goal. The Government of Israel does not want peace, they want the land, pure and simple.

Peace can only ever be achieved when the people of Palestine have a viable state of their own that is large enough to give them a possibility of a prosperous future. Without this, there will never be peace; it is not complicated. There are other things that would need to happen but without this, nothing else matters. It is always easy to see if a state wants peace - just ask yourself if that state is willing to recognize that others should enjoy the same basic rights as they do, and whether they are willing to make those with whom they are struggling real stake-holders in a better, brighter, and most of all equitable future. The fact that Canada, the US, and Israel are not willing to recognize a free and independent Palestine answers these questions loud and clear!